20 independent reviews for Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa

Reviews for Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa

Anne Brown review 13 Sep 2018

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Difficult to pick one thing as there were so many memorable and exciting incidents, but seeing two packs of African Wild Dogs on the first morning was
incredible!

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Read all the information(there is a lot) and you will be fully prepared for the experience. Be willing to join in as part of the team, take plenty of layers of
clothing ( and a woolly hat!) as it can be very cold on the vehicle and look forward to an amazing adventure!

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

This vacation most definitely supports conservation and the monitors are passionate about their work. Environmental impact is kept as low as possible.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Ilona Schultz review 11 Apr 2018

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Hard to tell, because there were a lot. Finding the wild dogs after hours of scanning and watching them watching us :-) An Elephant herd having their veggie dinner in the breath-taking sunset... Observing the pack of wild dogs hunting and sharing the prey like a family. Learning so much about the wildlife and conservation from our great animal right activist and conservationists Meg and Frede. Both are super competent and nice!

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

You need to be interested in conservation, in wildlife and in being away from the daily working life at your desk. Then you will experience a beautiful and very
interesting time with so much nature that you will just forget to check your emails.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes, 100 %! The people from the tour operator are very competent in these matters and everything they do is aimed at benefit local people, reduce environmental impact and support conservation.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Egle Passante review 28 Mar 2018

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

I would not recommend this vacation. At least not in Tembe Elephant Park. There is very little to do and due to the small size of the reserve, viewings of animals (apart from the elephants) are very rare. You drive for hours and hours without seing any animal at all. There is no need of volunteer work so you find yourself being dragged around like a luggage doing nothing. I went away from the camp for two days as I was too bored and I seriously considered to leave after one
week.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

The money was well spend as the tour operator is trying to do an admirable work. However my time was wasted as I was sitting around all day doing nothing.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

A big disappointment

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your comments and feedback, Egle.
We are saddened by your perception of your experience. However, we feel it necessary to point out that according to our records you in fact chose to remain in camp, deciding not to join the monitoring team, on approximately 10 out of the 23 possible lion monitoring sessions and 12 possible elephant monitoring sessions for those 2 weeks - it is therefore clear when comparing your feedback to the other participants who did take part in all sessions, that the quality of the experience would differ due to the decision to remain in camp instead of participating with the monitoring work. On these monitoring sessions the volunteer team participated by scanning for signal, recording sightings and mapping behavioural data. Among numerous (and lengthy) sightings experienced by the team, most notable from these 2 weeks included an exceptional visual of lions mating, and a very fortunate sighting of a leopard. As your team were also able to be present when a white rhino was sedated and dehorned for security purposes, as well as involved in resetting cameras for the camera trap survey in the northern section of the reserve, and assisting with the Wild dog pup ID kits, updating data and sorting camera trap images, we are rather surprised at the boredom you express.
Nevertheless we feel grateful for all the assistance received from all the members of your particular volunteer team, and for the time and contribution you were all able to make to the important conservation work being done on our projects; we could not do it without our hardworking and dedicated participants. Kindest regards and best wishes from the whole team here.

Sue Shearman review 19 Oct 2017

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Honestly? Every day brought something new and memorable. So that's a minimum of 28 new, exciting memories!
The wild dog puppies who really wanted to jump onto the back of the truck.
The sounds of the bush at night.
The animals visiting camp - not all of which are harmless - especially the vervets standing by to raid the kitchen and the baboons to raid the bins (baboons are terrified of small plastic snakes: good tip).
Camping in the bush.
The new friends I made from around the world.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

No popping down the shop, so take all the stuff you'll need.
Take a mosquito net of you're going in summer - but don't bother in winter and you don't need any anti-malarial stuff in winter either.
Buy a South African SIM for your phone. The mobile signal is more reliable than the wifi.
Binoculars are essential and a fairly decent digital camera with a good zoom. No need to go mad and spend a fortune, though.
You'll be expected to take your turn cooking, so jot down some basic recipes if you aren't good at improvising. The kitchens are pretty well stocked.
You don't have to be young! Most of the promo material features young people but I'm rather too close to 70 for comfort and no-one for a second made me feel out of place or any less valued than the younger people volunteering. (The best friend I have made is in her 20s.)

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes.
The project has just won the award for Best for Habitat and Species Conservation at the African Responsible Tourism Awards 2017 in South Africa and second best in the entire continent.
It also works with local schools to educate local children about the animals they live with - so that's a very long term future investment.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Sharon Williams review 6 Dec 2016

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

I only spent 2 weeks on this project and so only visited one reserve. However just in those two weeks I have come away with so many memorable moments to narrow it down to one experience.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

The project is totally focused on the animals and so the daily routine can be disrupted at a moments notice to safe guard the well being of the animals. This is not a safari be prepared to contribute during the daily monitoring sessions and around the camp, there are daily tasks that need doing to keep the camp running smoothly help out the monitors who work extremely hard. Go with a open mind & heart, be respectful & kind to your environment & colleagues and enjoy yourself.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes, Whilst I didn't experience it once a year they get children from the local schools in to engage with endangered species in a bid to educate them on the importance a Wildlife.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

This was so much more than a vacation and I'd book again within a heartbeat.

Cathy Bisset review 8 Jul 2015

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

It is really hard to decide of many of the memorable and exciting experiences
on this vacation which one stands out the most for me. Everyday it seemed that i
saw something different in the bush, unexpectedly two male cheetahs appeared
one morning, then there was the cheetah with her cub, there were rhinos and
rhino babies, one interesting experience for me personally was a close
encounter with an Assasin Bug(reduviidae, heteroptera), I was delighted to read
in a blog from Kariega game reserve also in South Africa, that these bugs are
rarely seen and are reported not to like being handled and that their bite is
extremly painful, but this little one was quite placid when it walked onto my
hand. Apart the ZRR reserve I also had the opportunity to go to St Lucia and go
on a river boat tour to see hippos and crocodiles, also I went whale watching
which was incredible. The hotel Bibs where I stayed in was excellent, clean
room and wonderful food, really great value. Also there a lot of good shops
there for buying gifts and basics. Back at the reserve the other animals that I
saw apart from the beautiful and playful African Wild dogs, were lots of
different types of ungulates(or Bambi's as I like to think of them), hippos,
aardvark, vultures, lots of colourful birds, lions, elephants, rabbits! Also I
was very, very impressed by the standards of the vacation provider team, from being picked up on the first day to tracking the wild dogs, all the staff are
awesome! They all have amazing knowledge, are always very calm, professional,
excellent drivers, passionate about what they are doing and I never once felt
in any danger when we driving around in the dark or over rough terrain, or that
they were taking any risks with the animals. The accommodation was very clean
and there was a beautiful big area outside of the house where I could sit in
the sun when we were having some time off. Also we all got a free t shirt! One
activity I personally enjoyed was traveling on the truck with the torch spot
light so we could see sides of the road and the road ahead in the dark, which
was exactly where we saw an aardvark and they are rarely seen! Beautiful skies,
South Africa is worth it just to see the sky at night! Finally I have to say
that there were many good volunteers there, I also met volunteers from the
other reserves at St Lucia and everyone seemed to get a long and be really good
people to be around.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Just read all the information before going and if you get the chance to go to
St Lucia it is worth going to. Also I arrived on the Sunday before starting
the project and stayed at the Fish Eagle Inn which was lovely and I would
definitely recommend arriving on the Sunday rather than the Monday. Also I
think it would be nice if the projects had a wish list so that volunteers could
bring items for the project that might not be easy for the project to buy or
just to help reduce costs, e.g. printer paper or a mop bucket!

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

The vacation was definitely helping conservation. I think that the local people
do benefit from this project, but I did think that volunteers could in future
maybe be encouraged to shop from the local markets as that could be away of
increasing the contact between the volunteers and the locals. Although I did
have lunch and shop at the Ghost Mountain Inn and got to Wimpy and Spar. There was recycling in the volunteers accommodation.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

I would say it was an excellent experience and when I was at the airport I
spoke to other volunteers who had been on different reserves and everyone
seemed to have enjoyed their time and felt it was worthwhile. I spoke to one
couple who told me they had done a lot of safaris in Africa but would never go
back to safaris but would prefer to return to the projects. Lots of people were
still wearing their t.shirts I think that was a sign of how much people had
enjoyed their time on the reserves.

Karin van Volen review 23 Feb 2014

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

All the time we spent in the bush - at least 10h per day. To see the other side of the safari - i.e. not being in a traditional tourist vehicle.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

The ultimate priority is the animals. You are not on a game drive and you will not be looked after as a traditional tourist. However, you get to see and experience things you would never even get close to during a traditional safari.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Thanks to the volunteers participating in these programs, organsiations such as this can continue their work - yes, we think we made a contribution in that sence. Us being on the truck might have have a very minor impact, but hopefully through what we learned we can give a continued support.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Excellent. There are two things we would like to add though:
We believe one of the founders of this organisation lives on the reserve where we stayed. We find it a pity - to say the least - that he could not find the time to come and welcome the volunteers and introduce the company and the foundation.
The monitors have as their first priority the animals, but if a bit of effort were made to welcome the newcomers by applying some basic hospitality upon arrival, life would be easier for all - monitors included. The monitors were very nice and generous with their knowledge, there is just a bit of structure missing - a manangement issue. A brief gathering, a drink and a briefing: safety, program, logisitcs.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you so much for filling out a review of our project, Karin and Sydney! We would like to thank you once again for your contribution to endangered species conservation in Africa.
We are so glad that you enjoyed the time with the team, and thank you for the kind offer of referring more people to us, via your website. We look forward to welcoming many more participants that will enable the conservation work to continue.
Karin, with regards to your comment about the director not being able to meet you when you arrived, we do understand how much you would have appreciated some time with a director of the organisation.
Whenever possible, he does make time to join the groups whenever the opportunity presents itself, since he sincerely misses spending time with the monitoring team. He himself used to perform all the monitoring work on that reserve, but now with added responsibilities and increased fieldwork, much of which is enabled through the funding and donations that come in through increasing participation by people such as yourselves, he is kept busy and is therefore less able to spend time with people, as the demands for the practical work increase.
It is for this reason that each volunteer group is given into the care of a dedicated wildlife monitor, employed by the directors, to welcome, orientate and lead the volunteer group, and answer all questions, while performing the monitoring work. This enables the directors to focus on administrative and fundraising work, as well as sourcing and facilitating work being done in the field, like collaring or relocating animals. We thank you for your part in making that possible, and we thank you also for your understanding of the fine balance between keeping our participants happy, and maintaining our role as a conservation organisation within an ever-changing and demanding environment. Thank you once again, and we hope to see you back in Zululand, at some point! Until then, please keep in touch.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Pankaj Bhudia review 10 Dec 2013

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

We were in a Private Game Reserve with no tourists so it was really peaceful and secluded. The scenery was wonderful and the animals were amazing to see. I was also lucky enough to share my experience with a great bunch of people which made the trip even more memorable

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Plan for all weather. I went in the Summer of South Africa but it still rained!!

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes - The majority of the work which we undertook was tracking/monitoring Wild Dogs& Cheetahs which are both endangered animals/

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Brilliant experience - I wish I had stayed longer and seen some of the other reserves

Read the operator's response here:

Pankaj, it was a pleasure to have you on the team and your assistance and enthusiasm were an asset to the project. Thank you for your contribution to endangered species conservation in Africa, and we hope to see you again someday! We sincerely appreciate your support.
Best wishes from all of us here in Zululand.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

I didn't enjoy the attitude of some of the people I was in the group with...I felt very judged as a South African when really they didn't know me at all.

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for your comments and feedback, Gillian!
We hope that by now all your family issues etc have been resolved; our hearts really went out to you at that time that you were due to join us.
As discussed, since you had to depart early from our project and only got to spend a few days with the team, please don't hesitate to let us know if you will be able to return to join us later in the year. We'd love to have you join us to complete your placement.
As mentioned, we generally have a wide variety of ages at any given time, and to the best of our ability we do try to place similarly-aged participants together, as we find this best facilitates group cohesion. It is our sincere hope that your next placement would be with like-minded participants; something which unfortunately is largely beyond our control, although we do take all factors into consideration as provided by the applicants.
We thank you for the time and contribution you were able to make to the important conservation work being done on our projects; we could not do it without people like you! Please keep in touch.
Kindest regards from the whole team.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Keith Elliot review 1 May 2012

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Went to the Tembe Nature Reserve in South Africa as a volunteer assisting in monitoring wildlife for two weeks - with most of the money going to fund the work of the volunteering organisation.
Three really memorable groups of experiences, firstly watching the wild pack of dogs close to the pick-up, much more beautiful than I expected close up. Particularly interesting as the researcher could describe their relationships with each
other, their main social behavioural characteristics and hunting behaviour, etc. Secondly, watching the elephants enjoying their mud baths and just how sensuous they are, contrasted with on one occasion coming close to a full charge by a bull elephant in musth (highly aggressive state with testosterone levels up to 50 times normal). We reversed very rapidly with the testosterone fuelled bull coming after us, awesome but reassuring that we were with an expert in elephant behaviour and that he had anticipated the charge. Thirdly, socialising with the researchers in the evenings, a real privilege and enjoying the company of the other volunteers.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Just do it.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes, some of the fees were used to cover basic accommodation and food, with the bulk of the funds going to the volunteer organisation.They carry out research directly related to the conservation of the ecosystems and wildlife, assisting the managers of the reserves in carrying out research that they cannot undertake themselves.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

A brilliant vacation, really invigorating, and very informative and worthwhile.

Christiane Woten review 28 Dec 2011

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

I had been at Tembe for almost a week without a real sighting of the wild dogs, so the first time they emerged from the underbrush was a huge thrill, especially when they brought all five puppies out! My first encounter with an elephant walking out along the road was also amazing. You just don't get the same experience seeing such a majestic animal from behind a fence. Seeing elephants in the wild has also made me absolutely opposed to keeping them in zoos, when I hadn't really thought of that before. I was also astonished to see the puff adder (snake) lying curled up in the road that one night!

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Everything went extremely smoothly. I was met at Richard's Bay airport and taken to Tembe and then brought back for my return flight. The little hut accommodations are very comfortable. Everyone was super nice and friendly! I was traveling alone so was a little nervous but I would completely recommend this trip to solo travelers.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes, I think so. Tembe is right in the middle of local communities and I think having volunteers come out to support the reserve benefits everyone.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

I had a wonderful time! I saw real wild animals up close and I got to see a part of South Africa that most tourists do not get to.

Susan Kraus review 2 Dec 2011

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Seeing a cheetah about 4 meters away looking very surprised when we disturbed his siesta whilst climbing a hill to check signals. Holding the head of a sedated wild African dog who had a new radio collar fitted. At night seeing and hearing a leopard outside the encampment calling for his mate.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Be prepared to get up very early. Be adaptable. Be prepared for basic amenities. Bring cookery skills a good sense of humor and lots of energy.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Absolutely. But most of all it benefited the wildlife and its habitat. Lots of volunteers are needed to patrol the reserves more regularly to prevent poaching and snaring. Donations would help to buy anti-snare collars.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Were I thirty years younger I would probably never have left! The teams show lots of commitment and it feels very worthwhile to have helped just a little.

Michael Dantas review 24 Nov 2011

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

It is hard to say because there were a number of things that were memorable and stood out - seeing a procession of over 50 elephants on the first day, seeing a live cheetah kill from begining to end, going on a bushwalk and taking part in a lion callup. The nature of this type of activity means that experiencing anything is not guaranteed, you get to do and see what is possible or present at any one time. Over the two weeks I was on my vacation I was very lucky. The park I went to, Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park is very beautiful and rightly has an outstanding reputation worldwide as a game park. Cathy, the monitor responsible for us, was passionate about and focused on her work and had a lot of knowledge and experience in wildlife conservation. Having someone like that around all the time obviously helped a lot.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

If you are genuinely interested in wildlife and conservation and want to experience conservation management at first hand, taking part on this program is definitely for you and could be one of the best experiences you will ever have in this regard. You will spend your time with knowledgeable and highly experienced people working in the area who will be happy to share their experiences with you and do and experience things you will never be able to do on a standard safari vacation. I really feel that two weeks is not enough (I was there for 2 weeks) and to get the full benefit you need to stay at least a month, possibly up to two or three. However, if you are just looking for a cheaper safari vacation, or something to just fill time during a gap year, this may not meet your expectations as you will also have to do work, take part in all the activities which often means getting up early and not expect too much luxury, though everything provided is more than adequate.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes, by the very nature of this program, the focus was on the welfare of the animals and preserving the nature of the park. I am also sure we contributed to the local community as we spent money in local shops and on occasion in restaurants (on our free days) and some of the costs of taking part in this program were passed on to the conservation cause.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

Lots of very enjoyable and valuable experiences which I will always remember. Highly recommended for anyone genuinely interested in wildlife and conservation.The park I was at is very beautiful with a real sense of the wild and opportunities to experience a lot. I was very glad I took part in the program.

Sophie Tanner review 26 Jul 2011

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

Where do I start?! I replay the whole experience often, when I'm stuck on a bus or sat at my desk for 7 hours! Zululand is a truly remarkable place and each of the reserves has a completely unique landscape - from beautiful sand forests to large stretches of pure wilderness areas. One of my highlights was being caught in a crazy thunderstorm, when our vehicle broke down, and seeing a leopard slink right past us into the bush, its stunning pattern illuminated by flashes of lightening. I also really enjoyed observing the elephants at Tembe, learning about how they operate and interact was fascinating. I never got bored of coming across an ele - their sheer size and ancient-looking skin is so impressive. Staring into an elephant's eyes makes you feel like they carry the history of the world on their shoulders. And finally, on my last night, I was delighted that we came across a pride of feral lions who leisurely crossed the road infront of us then lay down in the grass. One of the lionesses padded over to our open-backed vehicle and yawned like a tabby cat then looked us straight in the eye, tilting her head in curiosity. The other lions came up and crept after the vehicle, in stalking mode, as we gently reversed. My skin tingled with the encounter, it was completely wild!

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

I would say that the longer you do this the more you will get out of it. If you can visit more than one reserve then do - they make for a fab contrast and you will have a more diverse experience. It is worth bearing in mind when you go that the wildlife is not delivered on a platter, like on some safaris. You cannot expect to tick animal viewings off a list in one sitting but if you immerse yourself in the projects and take an interest in all the flora and fauna you will start to understand the biodiversity and how everything needs to work in harmony together. Every volunteer's experience will be different as you get a real behind-the-scenes insight into conservation, where every day is different. Be prepared for early mornings and some spare time in the middle of the day - make sure you take some good books. Definitely dont forget to take some good binoculars and any nature guide books so you can make the most of what's around you.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

This project is run by a group of incredibly passionate and dedicated conservationists. You will learn a lot from your monitors about how the reserves work within the communities and the inter-relations of the species. The whole project is set up to preserve the finely-balanced environments and to monitor priority species. The team work tirelessly to minimize poaching, balance populations and prevent extinction so, yes, it certainly is a very worthwhile operation.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

It was fantastic being so far away from my life back home. It was all so different but you very quickly learn to adapt to this back-to-nature way of life and, I have to say, when i returned home i missed all the fresh air and everything felt very sterile and clinical. I gained great insight into the world of wild animals...my relationship with domestic animals is so very different. You don't get to stroke and cuddle them but you develop a huge respect and awe for their way of life and an even greater respect for the people who work so hard to help them survive. It's certainly an experience i will never forget.

Alison Clark review 16 Mar 2011

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

It was a privilege to be involved in the wild dog rescue at Thanda Reserve when a poacher's snare was caught around her neck. Seeing the biggest tuskers when at Tembe was another highlight and identifying them was great fun. Of course, it's always great to see the lions and cheetahs, and the occasional leopard! The monitors were all good fun as well, and the whole team works for the benefit of the animals.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Go with the flow and expect the unexpected!

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes. They are very conservation conscious.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

It was an amazing experience and I met some fantastic people and animals!

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Locals no. Minimum impact on environment yes.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

90% satisfactory.

Read the operator's response here:

It was great having you join our team Mary. Yes indeed our organizations' focus is on the conservation of Endangered African Wildlife, and not necessarily the local community. Our Non-Profit trust however focuses more on our local communities - work our volunteers are not able to contribute to at this point in time. Hope to see you again soon!

Angus Cragg review 2 Oct 2010

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?

The wildlife was awesome especially being so close to lions and elephants.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?

Don't expect to have to work too hard (if placed at Tembe) but be prepared for lots of early mornings, lots of time spent on the back of a pick-up (4x4) which isn't exactly comfortable. Make sure you want to see animals and want to learn lots about the birds and animals you see. If squeamish this might not be the trip for you as it is quite likely you'll see lots of dead animals and possible lions making a kill.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Not really - the trip is pretty self contained and there is very little interaction with the local community. Make the most of what you do and you'll see some of Africa which is most definitely not on the tourist trail!!

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?

I'd rate it about 7.5 out of 10 because of the lack of work and not quite seeing how the trip was benefiting conservation. Still the animals are amazing and the people were great!

Read the operator's response here:

Many thanks for your comments. We work in conjunction with massive conservation organisations like WWF and KZN Wildlife. Without the volunteer involvement this work would not be possible, so feel we play a key role in conservation.

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